Sequoia Capital, one of Silicon Valley’s most prominent venture capital firms, is laying off its Washington, D.C.-based policy team and shuttering its office there, just as some tech-related companies try to increase their visibility in the U.S. capital after President Trump’s re-election.
The changes will take effect at the end of March and impact three full-time employees as well as policy fellows who worked with the firm. Sequoia confirmed the layoff while two sources familiar with the matter who requested anonymity because the topic is sensitive, said that the firm would close its Washington office.
Sequoia says it had set up its small policy team five years ago—during the first Trump Administration—to advise its investment team and portfolio companies on regulatory issues, deepen its knowledge of the policy landscape, and strengthen its connections with global policymakers, experts, and think tanks. Don Vieira, who had held senior national security positions at the Department of Justice and House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, opened the office, according to his LinkedIn. Vieria will leave the firm as part of the changes. He did not respond to requests for comment.
“Thanks to (the policy group’s) strategic guidance and efforts, Sequoia is now well-positioned to carry these relationships in the U.S. and Europe forward,” a Sequoia spokesperson said. “To that end, we are sunsetting the dedicated policy function and closing our D.C. office at the end of March. We are grateful to the team for their contributions and impact.”
The changes at Sequoia are in contrast to tech companies that have been increasing their visibility in Washington, D.C. since President Trump’s re-election. Meta in January hired Joel Kaplan, former deputy chief of staff to former President George W. Bush, to head its global policy team and CEO Mark Zuckerburg has visited Trump at the White House and Mar-a-Lago.
Some other venture capital firms have been beefing up their presence in Washington, D.C. to help portfolio companies that operate in highly regulated or political industries like defense, crypto, or AI. Venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, for example, which has had several of its partners take official or advisory positions in the White House, recently hired Patrick McHenry, the former North Carolina congressman, and Matt Cronin, former Chief Investigative Counsel and Deputy General Counsel for the U.S. House Select Committee on Strategic Competition, as senior advisors to the firm. Last fall, before the election, General Catalyst launched what it calls the “General Catalyst Institute” to influence AI, healthcare, defense and intelligence, manufacturing, and energy policy.
Sequoia Capital has historically remained politically neutral as a firm, even though many of its partners individually express political views or make large donations to presidential candidates. Top partner Roelof Botha said last summer that he is not registered with either political party, but that he is “more focused on the policies that will drive entrepreneurship, job creation, and making sure that the United States stays ahead.”
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
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